Improvement in machines for affixing postage-stamps



G. M. BARNEY. Machine for Affixing Postage-Stamps.

No. 214,232. Patented April 15, 1879.

i A a NJEYERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D 0.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE M. BARNEY, OF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN MACHINES FOR AFFIXING POSTAGE-STAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,232, dated April15, 1879; application filed April 8, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. BARNEY,

of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented anew and useful Machine for Wetting and Aflixin g Postage-Stamps to Letters and Circulars, which invention is clearly set forthinthe annexed specification and in the accompanying drawings.

- It is well known that it is an inconvenient and comparatively slowoperation to wet and affix one by one a large number of stamps toletters and circulars, especially to the latter, of which many thousandsrequire to be stamped at one time.

The object of my invention is to greatly facilitate the labor ofstamping objects designed for transmission by mail, or of afixing gummedstamps to other papers, and to make said operation easy and rapid.

Referring to the drawings, which consist of two figures, Figure 1 is afront elevation of my stam ping-machine; and Fig. 2 is side elevation,showing one of the arms of the machine thrown back.

In Fig. 1 the box containing the wetting device and its standard isshownin section to more clearly illustrate it.

A is the base of the machine, with a rear vertical standard, B, to whichare hinged at D two pad-holding levers, b b, to the front ends of whichare attached the vertical bars a a. Said bars are surmounted by heads aa and on their lower ends are hung, so they can have a slightoscillating movement from front to rear, and vice versa, twopad-holders, g g, on the under side of which are attached two pads, ofrubber or other yielding material, h h.

Attached to the top of standard 13 are two stops, 4; 'i, so attachedthereon that one end of either one can be swung around, one over eachlever b b, or oii from them.

Set in the base of a slot, 0, in standard B, in which levers b I) workside by side, are two springs, e 6, upon which said levers rest to keepthem up in a partially-elevated position.

Attached vertically to base A, under padholder g, is a hollow standard,F, in the interior of which is a coiled spring, o, resting on base A.

On two sides of standard F, over the top of spring 0, are formed twooblong holes, 0 and 0 A stamp-box, H, of such size as to allow of layingtherein such stamps as it may be desirable to affix, the bottom of whichis the top face of standard F, is fitted to move up and down on saidstandard, resting on the top of spring 0, by means of a pin, 1', passingfrom side to side of said stamp-box through the oblon holes 0 0 On twosides of said stamp-box is formed a raised border, 8 s, so as to leave aflat margin, it, between said border and the interior of said stamp-box.

Fixed also to base A, by the side of standard F, is a second standard,K, under pad-holder 9.

Standard K is surmounted by a sponge-box, L, on the top face of which issecured, by screws, a plate, n, in which is a rectangular opening, m;and on the top of said plate n, on two sides of said opening m, is araised border, '0 o, leaving a flat margin, ac, between it and openingm.

Projecting out on one side of standard K is a water-bowl, f, and lyingover it, secured between plate a and sponge-box L, is a flexible cover,j.

Through the side of sponge-box L next to water-bowl f is awater-passage, y.

E is a sponge or other absorbent material, secured in sponge-box L underplate a, sponge E being of such dimensions as will cause it to, whensaturated with water, swell up and project above the upper face of plateat through opening m therein.

The operation of my machine is as follows, viz: Sufficient water is putinto water-bowl f to thoroughly saturate sponge E. Stop dis turned offfrom over lever b, and the latter lifted up, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 2, for the purpose of ascertaining if the upper partof sponge E issufficiently Wet. Having so found it, lever b may be returned to itsplace, and stop i be turned over the top of said lever. The operatorthen throws back lever a, turning away stop 1', and lays a number ofstamps into the stampbox H, with their gummed surfaces uppermost, bringsback lever b, replaces stop t" over it, and then taking an envelope heholds it face side down. with the corner upon which it is desired toaffix the stamp inserted between pad h and plate a, pushing the envelopeup into the corner formed by the raised border '0 1;. While the envelopeis in this position the operator strikes upon head a on bar a, tlmssuddenly driving pad h against the envelope, and so pressing it againstsponge E as to wet a spot thereon about the size of a stamp. After heada has been so struck, spiral spring 6, under lever b, operates to raisesaid lever, and step i prevents it from being thrown clear over back bythe rebound. Pad-holder g, by being hung, as described, on the end ofbar a, is permitted to strike flatly against the envelope to insure therequisite even surface-pressure to properly wet the opposite side of it.

After the envelope has been wet, as just described, the same corner ofit that was just inserted between the before-mentioned pad and sponge isinserted in like manner between pad h and the stamp-box II, its cornerpressed against border 8 s. In this position the wetted spot on theenvelope is brought directly over the stamps lying with their gummedfaces upward in said stamp-box, and, by striking upon head (1 pad h isdriven down suddenly against the envelope, carrying it forcibly againstthe stamp lying on the top, and properly aftixing it to the wet spot onthe envelope.

Itwill be seen that the stamp-box is carried down by said blow. whilethe stamps remain solidly in a fixed position on the top of standard F,and do not yield to the blow which drives pad h against the envelope.Stampbox H, being properly adjusted to rise and fall on the standard I",is, by the falling pad, caused to reeede against spring 0 by thearrangement of pin 1 and oblong holes 0 0 heretofore described, and assoon as the blow has been given to affix the stamp the stampbox islifted up to again inclose the stamps by springoand the action of thepad h. Its holder g, bar a, lever 1/, spring 8, and step i are the sameas have been described as pertaining to like parts operating to pressdown the envelope to wet it.

It is not necessary that the wetting and stamp-affixing devices be bothembodied in one machine or attached to a common base or frame, as theoperation of each device is separate and distinct from the other; but itis less costly to construct the machine combining both, as shown anddescribed herein.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of base A, with itsstandard B, standard K, sponge-box L, waterbowl f, plate 12, with itsopening on and raised border 1) r, sponge E and pad h, pad-holder 9, bara, spring e, lever b, and stop i, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. The combination of lever b, spring 0, stop 2', base A, standard B,bar 01), pad-holder g, pad h, stamp-box H, with its raised borders s 8,pin r, spring 0, and hollow standard F, with its oblong holes o 0substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE M. BARNEY.

Vitnesses II. A. CHAPIN, WM. H. CHAPIN.

